Carton

ABSTRACT

A package comprising a filled and sealed carton having a bottom shaped to permit the package to be supported in an upright position on a horizontal surface without leaning or tipping.

United States Patent [72] Inventor John W. Scully [56] References Cited I N 5312'" Mm UNITED STATES PATENTS [2H P 3,024,961 3/1962 Galloway 229/43 [22] F1led Feb. 6, 1969 I 2,142,142 [/1939 Newson 229/37 [451 Meme 3 197 113 7/1965 0 229/15 x [73] Assignce Pneumatic Scale Corporation nese Quincy, Mass. Primary Examiner-David M. Bockcnek Attorney-Robert R. Churchill [54] CARTON 5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 229/37, 1

229/43, 229/6 ABSTRACT: A package comprising a filled and sealed carton [51 1 int. Cl .1 865d 5/02 having a bottom shaped to permit the package to be supported [50] Field of Search... 229/37, 15, in an upright position on a horizontal surface without leaning 6, 43 or tipping.

Fig. 4

PATENIED JUH22 I97| INVENTOR John 14 Saul/y a y W GZM L ATTORNEY CARTON BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to containers such as paperboard cartons which are filled with merchandise and sealed on automatic packaging machinery. The filled cartons are usually placed in a packing box for delivery to a store or market where the carton is placed on a shelf to display the merchandise for sale.

2. Description of the Prior Art 7 The prior art cartons which are provided with top and bottom end closing flaps are many and varied. However, they all have in common overlapped and adhesively secured end closing flaps. In practice the end closure thus formed may vary in thickness whereby to present a singly ply thickness in other areas. As a result the bottom end closure may be uneven or medial portions of the closure may extend below the edges of the carton so as to cause the carton to lean or tip slightly when placed upright on a flat surface. Also, in practice, the end closure of a conventional carton tends to curve or bulge out slightly so as to cause the carton to rock or lean to one side when placed in an upright position. This slightly outwardly curved condition is caused by the tension remaining in the flaps which are bent through 90 along their score lines, such tension tending to return the flaps to their unbent condition. Another problem encountered which is caused by the tension in the 90 bends tending to return the paperboard to its unbent condition comprises the bowing out of the sidewalls of the carton.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention contemplates an improved carton of the type formed from a scored blank and having an end closure and particularly a bottom closure formed by overlapped and adhesively secured flaps, the improvement comprising a bottom closure shaped to provide two opposing ridges formed adjacent the bottom score lines, thus forming a recessed portion therebetween. With this construction the carton rests on the formed ridges providing two straight lines of engagement with a flat horizontal supporting surface and thus avoids any tipping due to unevenness of the bottom closure caused by the areas which vary in ply thickness. Furthermore, the recessed portion intermediate the two ridges eliminate the bowed out effect formerly encountered.

In another aspect, the invention contemplates the provision of opposed ridges at both the top and bottom end closures. In practice, when the paperboard is bent along a score line to an score of 90 it is said that the score line is not "broken" so that there is still some tension or elasticity remaining in the scored portion of the board tending to return it to its unbent position. This tendency causes the sidewalls to bulge out slightly, and when the carton is filled with merchandise the thickness of the carton at the center will be greater than at the top and bottom. Thus, when a group of such bulged out cartons are placed in a packing box side-by-side, difficulty is encountered in attempting to fit the group in the nominal width space provided without crushing the contents. However, when the edges of the carton are provided with ridges adjacent the score lines at both top and bottom, this action breaks" the score line so that the tendency for the adjacent sidewall of the carton to bow out is eliminated.

Accordingly, one object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved structure of carton which is shaped at the bottom wall thereof in a manner such as to enable the carton to stand upright on a horizontal supporting surface without leaning or tipping.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved structure of carton prepared from a scored blank and having overlapping and adhesively secured end closure flaps, the end closure being provided with ridges on opposite sides thereof along the adjacent score lines whereby to permit the carton to be supported in an upright position.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved carton of the character specified wherein straight line raised portions are formed on opposite sides of both the top and bottom end closures of the carton whereby to reduce to a minimum the tendency of the sidewalls of the carton to bulge out.

With these general objects in view and such others as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the carton as hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims at the end of the specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention:

FIG. 1 is a developed view of the scored carton blank from which the present carton is made;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a filled and sealed carton embodying the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 2 but showing both top and bottom end closures shaped in accordance with the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows the carton blank indicated generally at 10 from which the present carton 12, shown in FIG. 2, is produced. The blank 10 is provided with longitudinal score lines 14 and horizontal score lines 15 defining sidewall panels 16, 18, each having top and bottom.

closing flaps 20, 22; and end wall panels 24, 26, each having top and bottom closing flaps 28, 30. One of the sidewall panels 16 is provided with a side seam flap 32 is shown.

The carton blank 10 illustrated herein is designed to produce a so-called economy" carton, shown in FIG. 2, wherein the sidewall flaps 20, 22 are of a length considerably less than the thickness of the carton and are arranged to overlap to provide a relatively narrow medial two-ply strip, as indicated at 34, rather than a structure wherein the sidewall flaps are of a length equal to the full width of the carton. As illustrated herein, the present bottom closure presents a single ply except for the medial strip 34 and also except for the areas wherein the end wall flaps 30 occur.

While this expedient in the prior art effects a saving in carton board, the narrow medial two-ply strip 34 causes the bottom wall to extend downwardly below the plane of the score lines 15 on which the flaps are bent, resulting in tipping or leaning of the carton to one side or the other when placed upright on a horizontal supporting surface. Also, the inherent tendency of the bottom wall to bow out because of the tension remaining in the paperboard at the score lines further aggravates this condition.

In accordance with the present invention, this condition is avoided by the provision of two elongated straight line projections or ridges 36 along opposite sides, herein shown as along the longer sides of the bottom closure adjacent the score lines 15. These elongated parallel ridges 36 may be formed in the bottom closure in any usual or preferred manner and, in practice, the ridges may be conveniently produced during the formation of the carton on u mandrel or forming block not shown. The end of the mandrel may be shaped to provide a medial recessed or depressed portion 38 for cooperation with a presser member to form the ridges 36, one on each side.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the recessed portion 38 effects elevation of the adhesively secured overlapping medial portion 34 above the supporting surface, leaving the ridges 36 only in engagement with the surface, thus avoiding any tipping or rocking action when the carton is placed upright-on a flat surface. As shown in FIG. 4, the areas where the end flaps 30 occur are likewise elevated so as to avoid contact of any part of the recessed portion of the carton with the supporting surface. It will also be appreciated that the formation of the ridges 36 adjacent the lower score lines effects breaking" of the same so that the tendency of the flaps to return to their normal position is eliminated and bowing out of the bottom closure wall is avoided. In practice, the bottoms of the ridges are in the same plane as the adjacent score lines as shown.

Referring now to FIG. 5, in a modified form of the invention, both the top closure and the bottom closure are provided with opposed ridges 36. This expedient not only permits standing of the carton upright at either end but furthermore, the breaking" of the score lines during the formation of the ridges reduces to a minimum any tendency of the sidewalls to bow out.

From the above description, it will be seen that the present structure of carton enables the same to stand upright on a horizontal surface without leaning or tipping and, furthermore, that the breaking" of the carton board effected by the formation of the ridges adjacent the score lines reduces to a minimum the tendency of the walls of the formed carton to bow outwardly.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated and described, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

l. A filled container comprising a carton having score lines defining wall panels provided with end closing flaps folded and sealed to provide top and bottom end closures, said bottom closureshaving a pair of opposed flaps overlapped at their outer marginal ends to provide a medial two-ply portion initially disposed below the adjacent score lines, said medial portion being deformed upwardly along a line spaced inwardly of the longer edge of the bottom closure to elevate the same above said adjacent score lines and to form two spaced straight hollow depending ridges adjacent the score lines along two opposed edges of the bottom closure to elevate the portion of the closure between the ridges whereby to enable the container to stand upright resting only.

2. A filled container as defined in claim 1, wherein the bottom of said ridges are in substantially the same plane as said adjacent score lines.

3. A filled container as defined in claim 1, wherein the adjacent score lines are broken" upon deformation of the bottom closure whereby to reduce to a minimum outward bowing of the bottom closure.

4. A filled container comprising a carton having score lines defining opposed sidewall panels and opposed end wall panels, each having end closing flaps folded and sealed to provide top and bottom closures, the closures at each end being deformed to provide a medial depressed portion and outwardly projecting hollow ridge portions adjacent opposed score lines, said adjacent score lines being broken upon deformation of said top and bottom end closures whereby to reduce to a minimum outward bowing of said opposed sidewall panels.

5. A filled container as defined in claim 4, wherein the hollow ridges occurring at the bottom closure enable the container to stand upright on a supporting surface resting on said ridges without leaning to one side or the other. 

1. A filled container comprising a carton having score lines defining wall panels provided with end closing flaps folded and sealed to provide top and bottom end closures, said bottom closures having a pair of opposed flaps overlapped at their outer marginal ends to provide a medial two-ply portion initially disposed below the adjacent score lines, said medial portion being deformed upwardly along a line spaced inwardly of the longer edge of the bottom closure to elevate the same above said adjacent score lines and to form two spaced straight hollow depending ridges adjacent the score lines along two opposed edges of the bottom closure to elevate the portion of the closure between the ridges whereby to enable the container to stand upright resting only.
 2. A filled container as defined in claim 1, wherein the bottom of said ridges are in substantially the same plane as said adjacent score lines.
 3. A filled container as defined in claim 1, wherein the adjacent score lines are ''''broken'''' upon deformation of the bottom closure whereby to reduce to a minimum outward bowing of the bottom closure.
 4. A filled container comprising a carton having score lines defining opposed sidewall panels and opposed end wall panels, each having end closing flaps folded and sealed to provide top and bottom closures, the closures at each end being deformed to provide a medial depressed portion and outwardly projecting hollow ridge portions adjacent opposed score lines, said adjacent score lines being ''''broken'''' upon deformation of said top and bottom end closures whereby to reduce to a minimum outward bowing of said opposed sidewall panels.
 5. A filled container as defined in claim 4, wherein the hollow ridges occurring at the bottom closure enable the container to stand upright on a supporting surface resting on said ridges without leaning to one side or the other. 